Last Day in Florence

There are still some sights we havent seen here - can you believe it? We have been walking from morning till we climb the 102 concrete steps up and up to our room with a view. We have a little terrace on top of our room - have to go up yet more steps to get there! All the buildings around us are the same height as we are so we have a great view around. There is a fabulous view of the Duomo glowing over the rooftops (also from our room).

I have been to church so many times mother would be very pleased! Natasha is now tired of the church thing and opted to stay in bed this morning. May also have something to do with the cold both of us have contracted milling around millions of people,going non-stop since we arrived in Italy and being too jazzed to sleep when we get home.

Besides the wonderful art and antiquities there are many shops lining all the main streets, big names of course including Prada, Yves St. Laurent etc. There are at least two leather shops on every street selling soft exquisite leather - Natasha got a beautiful lambskin jacket. She went in the store for shoes, they didnt have her size, she found a great belt, and the next thing she knew she had bought a jacket! What can I say, I wasnt with her and they are very good salespeople! It is lovely - dont think she could get such a jacket for such a good price at home. Sometimes you just have to do these things.....

There is a market that floods about 4 blocks, no cars able to get through, filled with stalls selling inexpensive interesting things. There is also a great indoor market - two huge floors with beautiful fresh fuits and vegetables, alongside wine stands, cheese shops, meat and fish stands. Great musicians in the piazzas at night, artists painting and selling their work, and a round of black market sellers with "gucci" bags and "rolex" watches. The sellers play a great game with the police, since what they are doing is illegal when a polzia comes near they grab up their booty in white sheets and walk or just stand completely innocent, the polizia are not 5 feet away and out come the displays on the street again! Its funny to watch. Most of these guys are black and they speak many languages, certainly enough to play haggeling games with the tourists.

We are off by train tomorrow for Venice for three nights, Pisa for one night, and then to the Cinque Terra on the west coast of Italy - the Italian Riviera before hitting France.